One morning Fritz walked into The Triode Guild lab and
looked a little depressed, and said...

" I hunger for some exotic musical aroma....."

I thought for a moment, and then suggested....

"Lets cruise to Africa, gather up some wild
orchids and listen to some Masai drum music".

We gathered the crew of the XH-1, and during a full moon,
gently lifted off, and floated out over the Atlantic. We were on our way to
Africa.

After a week of snorting wild African orchids, participating
in the Maisai lion hunt and drumming ritual, we were exhausted and got ready
to return to our home, so when the Chief of the Masai tribe presented the
crew of the XH-1 the sacred ancient idol pictured we were completely shocked.
This great chief told us the story about his tribes ancient fertility
idol.

Once upon a time, very long ago, at the beginning of time, there was
a talking mouse god, named Mickey, who roamed the world and wore a white
hat as a symbol of his fertility and power. Mickey once lived deep in
the earth, and one day he came to surface and he brought with him a magic
glass object so that people could make music, and that is how he helped
the people of the earth, and they worshipped him, and made statues of
him.

Those who think that tubes are less than one hundred years
old, need to expand their thinking about tubes, and realize that we have been
making tubes for as long as their has been civilization. Sorry, let me say
that another way...as long as man has needed to have the most intimate relationship
to music he has been making musical tools to satisfy that craving.

We are honored to have this rare work of ancient tube
art at The Triode Guild. Many have told me that Walt Disney used this ancient
Africa fertility god as his model for Mickey Mouse.